@mrcepid.bsky.social
Studying the genetic, developmental & environmental determinants of obesity, type 2 diabetes & related metabolic disorders. Contributing to their prevention.
Photo of man selecting soft drink on special offer in UK supermarket.
A lot of unhealthy food in the UK is sold using price promotions or special offers, such as ‘buy one get one free (BOGOF)’ deals.
In October 2025 price and multibuy promotions on unhealthy food and drink were banned in England. Scotland and Wales are planning to bring in similar bans.
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Exciting news!
The EPIC-Norfolk & Fenland studies have been shortlisted by the
@novo-nordisk.bsky.social
for their Inter-SUSTAIN call.
Researchers are now called to submit proposals, and if successful both researcher and study database will receive funding.
buff.ly/ZisvSte
Image tile with photo of Professor Lorenzo Trippa and a scene from a cancer research laboratory, with the title: University of Cambridge Population Health Sciences - Bradford Hill Seminar Leveraging External Data for Testing Experimental Therapies with Biomarker Interactions in Randomized Clinical Trials Professor Lorenzo Trippa, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Friday 27 February 2026, 1 PM (UK)
Join our hybrid Bradford Hill Seminar 'Leveraging External Data for Testing Experimental Therapies with Biomarker Interactions in Randomized Clinical Trials' with Professor Lorenzo Trippa @hsph.harvard.edu & @danafarber.bsky.social
📅 Friday 27 February, 1 PM
Info & registration buff.ly/xoDhItz
They then created a database of dark retail locations, finding that dark retail is more likely to be located in more deprived areas.
The NIHR funded research was led by Yuru Huang and @thomasburgoine.bsky.social, and published in Health & Place.
Read the paper buff.ly/5W2TIAC
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The researchers used data on 113,370 unique online food outlets from three major food delivery platforms (Uber Eats, JustEat & Deliveroo) in England, and identified 15,809 businesses operating from 7,054 dark kitchens, as well as 470 dark grocery stores in 362 locations.
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Image of food delivery workers for Juet Eat and Deliveroo on bicycles, accompanied by the Guardian headline "One in seven food delivery businesses in England are 'dark kitchens', study shows"
The Guardian reports on recent research led by @cam.ac.uk scientists which found that one in seven food delivery businesses in England are so-called "dark kitchens", which are delivery-only with no customer-facing storefront.
Guardian article: buff.ly/ipuAXaB
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They found no clear link between testosterone and coronary artery disease risk in women.
Professor Ong commented that their results show there’s a need for the UK to introduce more consistent warnings on the potential cardiovascular risk associated with testosterone supplementation.
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They found that for men, genetically higher testosterone was associated with a 17% higher risk of coronary artery disease. Previous studies have suggested that an individual’s risk of coronary artery disease is 7.3% over their lifetime – testosterone supplementation would raise this to 8.5%.
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To study the relationship between circulating testosterone levels and the risk of coronary artery disease, the team used Mendelian randomisation in 400,000 adults in @ukbiobank.bsky.social and >1 million individuals in CARDIoGRAMplusC4D.
Read the JCEM paper buff.ly/wiyxcP3
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Testosterone supplementation is an approved treatment for hypogonadism, and randomised controlled trials show benefits to sexual function, lean mass & muscle strength.
However, with testosterone supplements now being promoted on social media, questions remain about long-term health impacts.
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Image credit: Getty 3d render of testosterone injection vials.
New genetic research led by @cam.ac.uk researchers Emily Morbey & Professor Ken Ong links high levels of testosterone in the blood to a greater risk of coronary artery disease in men.
Read more buff.ly/rtkglXj
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Prof. Forouhi discussed recent research that paints a more nuanced picture of saturated fats, indicating that not all saturated fats share the same biological properties, and that the food sources of the saturated fats matter, not solely the fat content per se.
buff.ly/I4WBR9x
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“The story of saturated fats and heart health has been like solving a large jigsaw puzzle over decades, but the evidence stacks up”
Prof Nita Forouhi @cam.ac.uk comments in @telegraph.co.uk on new US dietary guidelines that encourage greater consumption of saturated fats
buff.ly/hsAe5K7
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Come to Prevention Research 2026 - peventionresearch26.co.uk
Just two days to go till earlybird registration closes for Prevention Research 2026
🗓️4-5 March 2026
📍Vox, Birmingham
🪧 Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice for Health Equity
preventionresearch26.co.uk
📄 Draft programme now available registrations.hg3conferences.co.uk/hg3/frontend...
Image with a selection of cheeses on a plate.
Prof. Forouhi discussed recent research that paints a more nuanced picture of saturated fats, indicating that not all saturated fats share the same biological properties, and that the food sources of the saturated fats matter, not just the fat content.
www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/blog/2021/11...
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“The story of saturated fats and heart health has been like solving a large jigsaw puzzle over decades, but the evidence stacks up”
Prof Nita Forouhi @cam.ac.uk comments on new US dietary guidelines that encourage consumption of saturated fats.
www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...
(1/2)
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@mrcepid.bsky.social researchers led by Prof. Albert @koulman.bsky.social used data from the UK’s National Diet & Nutrition Survey to investigate the ethnic differences in thiamine status.
The survey is currently delivered by @natcen.bsky.social & @mrcepid.bsky.social at the @cam.ac.uk
Ethnic differences in thiamine status persist after adjusting for diet; findings from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey": www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
20.01.2026 09:49 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
New research by Alexandra Boskovic, @jhoenink.bsky.social & @thomasburgoine.bsky.social finds that fast-food outlet density in the UK increased by 36% between 2011 and 2024, with the gap between the most deprived areas and most affluent areas widening by 30%.
doi.org/10.1016/j.he...
Chapter 13 in the book is Urban Environments and Healthy Behaviors: Preventing the Epidemic of Chronic Diseases in African Cities by GDAR researchers Meelan Thondoo, Feyisayo Wayas, and Tolullah Oni
Learn more - buff.ly/xtObDjW
The book explores the critical impacts of rapid urbanisation on the health and prosperity of Africans. Through compelling case studies, contributors highlight the unique challenges and innovative solutions in Africa’s urban health.
16.01.2026 12:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Researchers from the Global Diet and Activity Research Network (@mrcepid.bsky.social, @cam.ac.uk) contributed to a book on Urban Health in Africa, published by Johns Hopkins University Press (@hopkinspress.bsky.social).
Learn more - buff.ly/xtObDjW
Exciting news!
The EPIC-Norfolk & Fenland studies have been shortlisted by the
@novo-nordisk.bsky.social
for their Inter-SUSTAIN call.
Researchers are now called to submit proposals, and if successful both researcher and study database will receive funding.
buff.ly/ZisvSte
Social Media tile with photo of Professor Clare Turnbull. Text: University of Cambridge Population Health Sciences Bradford Hill Seminar Expanding testing of cancer susceptibility genes from the clinic to the population: exploring the evidence gaps. Prof. Clare turnbull, Institute for Cancer Research. Wednesday 14 January 2026, 1 PM (UK)
Register for today's Bradford Hill Seminar
It's an in person event with Prof. Clare Turnbull who will discuss expanding testing of cancer susceptibility genes from the clinic to the population: exploring the evidence gaps
📅 Wed 14 January 1 PM (UK)
Register - buff.ly/Hpbj8qM
Sign up to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus PhD Symposium!
It features inspiring keynote talks, student flash talks, career advice panels, & research skills workshops for PhD students undertaking their studies on the campus.
Registration is free and closes 16/01/2026 - buff.ly/MSLrw6b
As part of the SHOPS study, Dr Natalie Egan of the MRC Epidemiology Unit is inviting 40 people with different shopping experiences to share their thoughts on shopping and price promotions.
If you’d like to get involved, find out more on the Promo Bans study website buff.ly/6EAIKLL
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SHOP will use information collected by market research companies on people’s food shopping to study the impact of stopping the use of special offers, comparing how much and what type of food people bought before and after special offers were stopped.
Read more buff.ly/GsN3aOi
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A team led by Dr Oliver Mytton at (UCL) together with Unit researchers @martinwhite33.bsky.social & @jeanmadams.bsky.social have been awarded a @nihr.bsky.social grant for the SHOP study to understand the impact of voluntary bans implemented earlier by some supermarkets.
buff.ly/crYzjND
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Photo of man selecting soft drink on special offer in UK supermarket.
A lot of unhealthy food in the UK is sold using price promotions or special offers, such as ‘buy one get one free (BOGOF)’ deals.
In October 2025 price and multibuy promotions on unhealthy food and drink were banned in England. Scotland and Wales are planning to bring in similar bans.
(1/4)
Social Media tile with photo of Professor Clare Turnbull. Text: University of Cambridge Population Health Sciences Bradford Hill Seminar Expanding testing of cancer susceptibility genes from the clinic to the population: exploring the evidence gaps. Prof. Clare turnbull, Institute for Cancer Research. Wednesday 14 January 2026, 1 PM (UK)
Our first Bradford Hill Seminar of 2026 will be in-person with Professor Clare Turnbull of the Institute of Cancer Research to discuss expanding testing of cancer susceptibility genes from the clinic to the population.
📅 Wed 14 Jan, 1 PM (UK)
Register: buff.ly/hZtYEKZ
@phgfoundation.bsky.social
